Poll: Tenney, Brindisi locked in dead heat in race for Congress

U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney and State Assemblyman Anthony Brindisi are locked in a dead heat for the 22nd Congressional District seat only 10 weeks before the election, according to a poll made public Wednesday night.

Brindisi, a Utica Democrat, is favored 46 to 44 percent over Tenney, R-New Hartford, according to the Spectrum News/Siena College poll of likely voters.

It is the first independent political poll to be made public this year in the 22nd Congressional District race.

"In a district with 30,000 more Republicans than Democrats, incumbent Republican Tenney is barely holding her own versus Democratic challenger Brindisi," said Siena pollster Steve Greenberg, who noted that Brindisi has the support of 26 percent of Republicans.

One reason for the disconnect is that Tenney is viewed unfavorably by the majority of voters (42 percent favorable to 47 percent unfavorable) while Brindisi is viewed favorably (44 percent to 27 percent).

The results confirm what political analysts in Washington have predicted for months: The Tenney-Brindisi battle is one of the most competitive House races in the nation in this year's midterm elections, and perhaps the best chance for Democrats to pick up a seat in New York state.

Tenney has tried in the past month to boost support among her base in a district that President Donald Trump carried with 55 percent of the vote in 2016.

The new poll found voters in the 22nd District approve of the job Trump is doing as president (51 percent to 44 percent) and by a 13-point margin voters want Republicans to control the House of Representatives after the November election.

The president's daughter, Ivanka Trump, also appeared with Tenney this summer when she traveled to Cortland in July to tout the Republican tax overhaul that passed Congress last year.

The poll of 499 likely voters in the district was conducted by live operators who called land lines and cell phones from Aug. 20 through Sunday, Aug. 26. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.8 percentage points.

The 22nd Congressional District covers all of Madison, Oneida, Cortland and Chenango counties and portions of Oswego, Broome, Herkimer, and Tioga counties.